DUCKS Named White Rose Champion School for Excellence in Early Mathematics
Dulwich College (Singapore) is proud to share that our Dulwich College Kindergarten School (DUCKS) has been recognised as a White Rose Education Champion School for 2025–26. This honour is awarded to schools that demonstrate excellence in mathematics teaching, curriculum design and innovative classroom practice. This places DUCKS within a global network of forwardthinking schools shaping the future of early mathematics education.
What it means to be a White Rose Education Champion School
White Rose Education is one of the UK’s most influential curriculum providers, known for its mastery‑based approach and research‑informed mathematics programmes. Schools selected for Champion School status are acknowledged for:
- High‑quality, evidence‑based teaching
- Strong, coherent curriculum design
- Consistency of practice and progression
- A commitment to continuous professional learning
- Meaningful, child‑centred approaches to mathematical thinking
Champion Schools also work closely with White Rose Education, contributing feedback, trialling resources and joining a national and international professional learning community. This accolade affirms what our DUCKS community already knows: mathematics in the early years is thriving – joyful, embedded, and deeply meaningful.
A DUCKS Approach: Mathematics Through Play, Curiosity and Discovery
In the early years, mathematical concepts can feel abstract. Young children are still developing an understanding of patterns, sequences, quantities and the language needed to express these ideas. At DUCKS, we ensure these foundations develop naturally through play, exploration and everyday experiences.
Rather than relying on worksheets or memorisation, our teachers observe closely, listen to children’s ideas, name emerging concepts and extend their thinking in the moment. This approach aligns powerfully with White Rose guidance and reflects best practices in early mathematics.
Mathematics in Action: Learning Moments from Nursery
In DUCKS, mathematical fluency is not just about getting the right answers. We focus our curriculum on helping our children develop a true understanding of how numbers work. The examples below illustrate how adult observation, intentional questioning and carefully chosen resources allow mathematical learning to remain playful, purposeful and deeply embedded in everyday experiences.
Measure and length: making comparisons meaningful
When playing with connectables, children began commenting spontaneously “look how long it is!” Teachers seized this natural moment to explore measurement. Using straws and buttons as nonstandard units, they invited children to predict, compare and count. Soon, children were measuring shoes, bodies and classroom objects and using mathematical vocabulary such as ‘long’, ‘short’ and ‘longer’ with confidence.
These moments show the power of pausing to acknowledge mathematical thinking instead of redirecting play elsewhere.
Shape: deepening understanding through exploration
Shape learning at DUCKS is woven into stories, games and creative experiences. Children listened to fiction and non‑fiction texts, played “guess the shape” using descriptive clues, and identified shapes through stamping and painting.
Teachers reinforced shape language – sides, corners, curves – and encouraged children to express what they noticed. This hands‑on, repeated, visual approach reflects White Rose guidance and strengthens children’s conceptual understanding far more effectively than isolated identification tasks.
Subitising and the concept of three
Storytelling created rich opportunities to explore the number '3’. We used classic tales such as Goldilocks, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Pigs to provide a narrative framework to help our children recognise quantities, compare sizes and understand order.
For instance, during sensory play, children would match bowls to these characters using size vocabulary. While outdoors, they built bridges to retell stories, experimenting with movement, turn-taking and collaborative problem-solving. These repeated, meaningful encounters helped deepen number sense.
Pattern, position and mathematical language
Using loose parts and natural materials, children created ABAB patterns and, with teacher modelling, expanded to ABCABC sequences. Many were able to explain their patterns verbally, demonstrating early structural understanding.
Positional language such as ‘in’, ‘out’, and ‘on’ emerged during block play and story retelling. Teachers modelled precise language and supported children to use it confidently, strengthening communication and shared thinking while reinforcing spatial concepts.
Reflecting Forward
These examples represent the beginning of our ongoing journey with White Rose Maths. As we continue this work, we remain committed to:
- Deepening staff confidence in recognising mathematical opportunities
- Using consistent, precise mathematical language
- Ensuring strong progression across the Nursery year
- Supporting learning without compromising curiosity, creativity or joy
We are incredibly proud of our teachers and our confident, capable young mathematicians. The White Rose Champion School recognition shines a spotlight on their dedication and reinforces DUCKS’ position as a leader in early years mathematics.